3M’s VHB tape has been used in our industry for many years, and is widely used in engineering industries such as aerospace and F1 racing. It was the ‘go to’ solution for our challenge of fitting relatively heavy individual letters onto a glass window panel in a busy shopping mall for our client at the T Shirt Store.

Here’s a slightly tongue-in-cheek, but very convincing, short demo video from 3M showing the amazing strength of their VHB tape:

In fact 3D built-up letters do lend themselves to being fitted onto glass and they can give the impression that the letters are ‘floating’. This can be done without the need to drill into the glass, and signage can therefore be retro-fitted. The team at Brilliant Signs researched bonding options and opted for a specialist adhesive to ensure the signs remain safe and secure on the glass shopfront.

The previous silk-screened acetate maps in the large sign boxes were discarded and replaced with digitally-printed maps that had been painstakingly designed showing the correct orientation throughout the vast shopping centre car park. Each of the large signs around the enormous car parking area now features a bespoke ‘You Are Here’ map specific to its location.

Not only has the Cribbs Causeway Shopping Centre car park now got a much more up-to-date look, but an added benefit to the directory signage re-vamp programme is that since the new signage has been in place, the number of lost souls spending hours aimlessly wandering around the car park after their shopping spree searching for their silver car has been reduced dramatically!

Call one of the Brilliant Signs team for any advice or technical information if you are considering refurbishing your existing signage – 01491 826 614 or 07974 343 366.

Cribbs Causeway car park directory sign BEFORE being refurbished

All 30+ new digitally-printed directory maps were painstakingly designed showing the correct orientation throughout the vast shopping centre car park – each featuring a bespoke ‘You Are Here’ map specific to its location

PART 2: The Making of…

The team at Brilliant Signs refurbished the sizeable Cribbs Causeway Shopping Centre car park signs in a number of stages, some of which are outlined here:

The dated hot cathode fluorescent tubing was stripped out and replaced with state-of-the-art LED lighting, not only giving a massive carbon footprint saving for the Shopping Centre but also reducing their electricity bill and improving the signs’ reliability.

The old dull, faded paintwork was stripped off and re-coated with a highly durable, powder-coated finish in the corporate colour, giving the signs another 20+ years’ of refreshed life.

Refurbishing existing signs is an excellent way of updating current physical signage with new imagery and colourways, as well as saving money – and reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

PART 1

Brilliant Signs recently revamped all 50 ‘You Are Here’ directory signs across the whole car park at The Mall Cribbs Causeway Shopping Centre near Bristol bringing the imagery and messaging up to date.